African Elephant Folklore and Myths

A great deal of mythical folklore surrounds these magnificent giants of the bush.

A few of these legends are worthy of being recounted, however the origin of these myths have become quite unclear over the years, and no specific tribe of people can be directly credited with them.

The most likely source though, would appear to be the Shona, a tribe ancestrally inhabiting the northern regions of Southern Africa.

Indigenous people speak about the pair of  ’wisdom sticks’ that the elephant carries on either side of his temples. They believe that these sticks enable the elephant to know the time and place of its own death. That is why they believe that very old tuskers are often seen without their herd, preferring to find a hiding place to die, thus maintaining their dignity, as they wish to die alone and in peace.

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There are also many superstitions as regards to the hunting of elephants by local people.

A hunter that sets out nursing a secret grief or grudge, will only wound his prey and will not get a kill. Also, tuskless elephants will charge and kill those who are guilty of adultery, unless they immediately confess their guilt to the elephant. Thus no hunter will allow others to accompany him, unless he is sure that his companions are not harbouring grief or a grudge, or are guilty of adultery.

If the hunter meets an elephant with his trunk curled around his head, he will know that some tragedy has struck his home.

Should he see an elephant flinging earth over his back he will know that his wife is bathing or swimming, not something that she is supposed to be doing while he is out hunting. Lastly, elephants are believed to swallow a pebble every year, so as to keep a count of their age.

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